


Burnout

by McKat



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Bruce Wayne Being an Idiot, Don't Like Don't Read, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, but we love him anyways
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-17 09:24:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21264869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McKat/pseuds/McKat
Summary: Bruce has a tendency to push himself too far. On one of these occasions, Alfred sends for assistance from Dick.In my mind this takes place during Knightfall but really it's not specific to any time. I feel like Bruce pushes himself too hard fairly regularly.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson/Bruce Wayne
Comments: 5
Kudos: 127





	Burnout

“Master Dick,” Alfred said over the phone. “It’s Master Bruce…”

Dick was walking home and felt the world sway beneath his feet. He knew that tone. He has nightmares of it. “What happened?” he asked as soon as he could find his voice again. 

“Physically, he took a nasty beating, but not too much worse than normal. It’s more mental. He’s… he’s obsessed. He won’t let Master Tim or me help him with anything. He refuses to admit he’s overworking himself. He won’t eat, he won’t sleep… He’s been in this state before, as you well know, but I don’t recall ever seeing it to this extent.”

“Alfred… what do you want me to do?”

“Please, come talk to him. Just try to make him see sense. He’s shut us out, but maybe he will still let you in.”

Dick sighed, reaching his apartment. “I’ll be there soon, Alfie. Don’t let him kill himself for another hour or so, would ya?”

“Of course, sir. Thank you.” 

“Don’t mention it.” The butler hung up and Dick sat down heavily on his couch. “Bruce you old idiot,” he mumbled under his breath. 

He had worked with Batman since becoming Nightwing, sure, but always professionally. This was going to be uncomfortable for them both. But he couldn’t say no to Alfred. Dick stood and grabbed his bag, leaving his apartment and heading for Gotham city. 

————— 

Bruce was at the Batcomputer working when he heard the elevator from the manor’s door open. “Alfred, I told you I’m fine.”

“Yikes,” came a voice that was decidedly not Alfred’s. “Alfie wasn’t joking when he said you weren’t doing too hot.”

Bruce turned and saw Dick standing in the middle of the Batcave. “Why are you here?” There was no malice in the question, just confusion. 

It still hit Dick harder than it should. “Because Alfred said you’re being an idiot. Well, not exactly those words, but I read between the lines.” He walked up to Bruce and noticed the dark circles under his eyes. He had wrinkles now, too. And a bit of stubble from a couple days without shaving. He was still unfairly attractive. Just rougher around the edges than Dick recalled. 

“I’m fine.”

“Bruce, no offense, but you look like you’ve dragged down a mile of rough road. Alfred said you’re not sleeping or eating. You know you’re no good to anyone when you’re exhausted.”

“I’m plenty sharp, Dick.” 

Dick raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. “Really? Well then. Prove it.”

Bruce looked confused. “What do you mean?”

Dick nodded towards the mats. “If you’re still so sharp then let’s spar. If you can beat me I’ll tell Alfred that you’ll be ok.”

“Dick, don’t be ridiculous.”

“Aw, come on B, you know ridiculous is my specialty.” He grinned at Bruce. “If I win, though, you are going to eat a full meal and then go to sleep. For eight hours. At least.”

“No, I don’t have time.”

“What is so important?! What are you working on? Is there a bomb set to explode somewhere?”

“No…”

“A bank robbery planned to go down?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Then you can spare a few minutes to spar. Unless you’re scared.”

Bruce sighed and stood. “Ok. Fine.”

Dick led the way to the training mats. 

—————

“Bruce, I hate to say it, but you’re about as sharp as a slinky right now.” Dick had bested the older man easily and was sitting on his chest. “I think I won.”

Bruce moved to knock Dick off, but his move was countered easily. “Come on, B, you’ve always been able to beat me.”

Bruce eventually resigned himself to the fact he’d been bested. “You win,” he said softly.

Dick smiled down at him. “Excellent. So you’re going to eat and then sleep. If the bat signal turns on I’ll handle it with Timmy. You’re going to rest.” 

The older man looked up at him and slowly nodded. “Ok.” 

Neither moved to get up. Dick leaned his head down lower to Bruce’s before thinking about what he was doing. “I don’t understand how you can do this to yourself. You know you’re not any good to anyone in this kind of state.”

Bruce stayed silent, blue eyes looking into blue. 

Dick moved his hand to Bruce’s cheek tentatively, feeling the stubble beneath his fingers. “People care about you, Bruce. Alfred cares. Tim cares.  _ I  _ care. I always have. You don’t seem to care about that, though.”

“What?” Bruce asked, brow furrowed. “Of course - yes, I care about you all.”

“Not what I meant,” Dick replied, shaking his head. “You know we care about you. But you still do this kind of stuff to yourself. You know we worry. But if we worry you we get a lecture.”

Dick closed his eyes for a moment, hand still on Bruce’s cheek. “I just need you to know I care.” He stood and began to head for the manor. 

“Wait, Dick.” Bruce looked up at his friend from the ground. He sat up and turned to the younger man. 

“Yeah?” Dick stopped and turned to face Bruce. 

Bruce stood and made his way to Dick, stopping rather close to the other man but not quite in his personal space yet. “I… I care about you too. I miss you as my Robin. Tim… he’s good. He is. But you… you were the best.”

Dick’s breath caught at those words for a moment. “But… you kicked me out.”

“Because you’re better. You’re better than I am. I was keeping you from being what you could be.”

Dick shook his head. “I’m… I don’t believe any of this you know.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Bruce said softly, stepping closer to Dick. “I just had to tell you.”

Dick nodded. “Ok. Well. Anything else you have to tell me?”

Bruce shook his head. “No. But there’s something I have to do.”

Before Dick could ask any questions, Bruce had leaned forward until their lips were barely an inch from one another. He paused to let Dick back away if he chose. 

He didn’t. 

Bruce leaned the rest of the way, softly kissing the younger man. 

Dick gasped softly into the kiss, his entire body rigid. But he quickly relaxed against the taller man’s body and put his hands on Bruce’s waist. He felt Bruce’s hands tangling in his hair and bit off a moan when he pulled on it. They kissed for a while before eventually Bruce pulled away. “I’m… I’m sorry… I-“

“Sorry? I hope not. I like to think I’m a better kisser than that.”

“No, I shouldn’t have-“

“B, I am  _ so  _ ok with the fact you just did that. Ok?” To prove his point, Dick kissed him quickly. “Absolutely fine with it. You could have done it forever ago. But as much fun as this is, we should get you up to the manor and get some food in you.”

Bruce nodded and walked towards the manor with Dick at his side. 

————— 

Bruce sat up in bed in a cold sweat, a nightmare having pulled him awake. He buried his head in his hands. There was no way he had slept more than an hour or two. 

The door opened to his room. “I’m alright. Bad dream.” The door closed again and he thought whoever it was had left, until he heard someone sit on his bed. He looked up from his hands to see Dick in sleep clothes. The T-shirt he wore seemed awfully familiar…

“Dick, is that my shirt?”

The younger man seemed to blush, it was difficult to tell in the darkness. “Well, I packed some sweatpants but no shirt and so I just grabbed this one…”

Bruce smiled despite himself. “Why are you in here?”

“You screamed. Alfred came running to but I told him I’d handle it.” He moved over to lie next to Bruce, turned to face the other man. “So this is me. Handling it. Hey, I completely forgot you sleep shirtless. Totally fine with it though.”

Bruce ignored him. “I’m ok. Just a bad dream.”

“When I was a kid and had bad dreams you would come in my room until I fell back asleep. So think of this as me returning the favor.”

Bruce turned towards the younger man, lying back down. He put his hand on Dick’s waist. “Thank you.”

“Not a problem, B.” He moved closer to the other man’s face. “So, about what happened in the Cave…”

“What about it?”

“I mean. I feel like we should talk about it. Why did you kiss me?”

“Because… I’ve wanted to for some time now.”

“How long are we talking here?”

“Not long after you became Nightwing. I missed you. I would see you sometimes, at work, and you’re just… you were so amazing. I realized I’d fallen for you a little.”

Dick nodded. “Well, I’ve been wanting to kiss you too.”

“For how long?”

Dick felt his face grow warm. “Well… are we, um, including teenage crushes?”

“Now we are,” he said playfully.

“I’ve never really, y’know, told anybody. But when I was younger… hormones and all… probably starting about sixteen years old. I never was gonna do anything about it because I realized it was a stupid kid crush and that you would hate me forever if I even tried. But then I got older and it… well… it never really went away. Even when I stopped being Robin.”

“You had a crush on me?”

“Oh my gosh, Bruce, yes. I did. You’ll never let me live that one down, huh?” He felt his cheeks grow warm under the older man’s gaze. Dick sighed and kissed him quickly. “I can keep doing that, right?”

“Yes. Please.”

Dick nodded and kissed him again, slower and deeper, his lips parted and hands on Bruce’s shoulders, pulling him closer. Eventually he pulled back and panted for air. “Gosh… Bruce… much as I would love to keep going, you’ve got to get some rest.”

“Alright. Dick?”

“Yeah, B?”

“... stay with me?”

“‘Course, big guy.” He moved to snuggle against the larger man’s chest. “Can I tell you something?”

“Of course, Dick.”

“I didn’t forget my pj shirt. I just wanted to wear one of yours.”

Bruce smiled. “Good night.”

“Good night.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos and comments make for a happy author, btw :)


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